Subject Support Manager Geography

AQA; Greater Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 43,000 - 51,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension contribution

Wellbeing programmes

Volunteering opportunities

Job summary

AQA is seeking a Subject Support Manager for Geography to support teachers and centres across the UK. The role involves delivering subject messages, planning Geography specifications, and engaging with teachers to raise subject confidence and delivery across multiple locations.

You will influence curriculum development and represent AQA at conferences and events. This hybrid role requires data-informed decision making, strong communication with teachers and stakeholders, and regular national

Qualifications

• Current or former teaching experience with credibility with teachers.
• Strong understanding of Geography and GCSE/A-Level assessment landscape.
• Ability to extend influence beyond the classroom through networks, CPD, or EdTech.
• Ability to use data to inform delivery and understand customer impact.
• Clear, empathetic communication and ability to present to teachers, parents and students.
• Ability to explain AQA's offer clearly.
• Willingness to travel regularly, including overnight stays.

Responsibilities

• Represent AQA and deliver key subject messages to external audiences.
• Support schools, centres, and teachers with Geography specifications and queries.
• Engage with teachers face-to-face and online to support continuous improvement and confidence in the subject.
• Build relationships with subject stakeholders and use insights to influence future developments.
• Gather and analyse data and customer feedback to inform decisions and improve delivery.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Marketing, Sales and Events for aligned delivery.

Skills

Geography knowledge

Data analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Public speaking

Travel flexibility

Job description

At AQA, we're committed to advancing education and we're committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it's our people who make this happen.

Job title: Subject Support Manager - Geography

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract - maternity cover until end of December 2027

Location: Manchester, London, Milton Keynes

Salary: Manchester - £43,000 to £48,900 - London and Milton Keynes - £44,700 to £50,900

Working arrangements: Hybrid - one day in the office per week plus regular national travel including overnight stays

If you're ready to work across a subject with huge national reach, this role gives you the scope to support teachers, strengthen subject delivery and play a part in the future direction of Geography education.

Be part of a subject area that's expected to be at the forefront of curriculum reform, where your expertise in Geography can shape how over 200,000 GCSE and 13,000 A-level students experience the subject and help AQA maintain its leading position in the GCSE and A Level market.

About the role

This is an opportunity at a time of growth to join an expanding Subject Support function, so if you're ready to take your expertise in Geography beyond the classroom and influence how thousands of students experience the subject, this is your opportunity to make a national impact.

Alongside shaping the subject's future, you'll handle the practical support teachers need by answering centre queries, producing subject updates, delivering Curriculum Connects sessions, analysing data to identify centres needing support, and representing AQA at conferences.

These roles are ideal for teachers looking to broaden their impact, or for those who have moved beyond classroom teaching, perhaps into EdTech, CPD, or other education-focused sectors and now want to influence education more broadly through AQA.

Purpose

Working in a wider Subject Support team of 50 that is continuing to grow, you'll support teachers in delivering qualifications across Geography.

Drawing on your assessment and curriculum knowledge, you'll help shape how our qualifications are delivered in classrooms. You'll play a key part in assessment reform and influencing national education beyond individual schools.

What's in it for you

• The chance to make a meaningful impact on education while growing your career.
• A real sense of purpose where your work will influence national education.
• Opportunities for growth and professional development.
• Being a part of AQA's inclusive and values-led culture.
• A benefits package including up to 11.5 percent pension contribution, wellbeing programmes and volunteering opportunities.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service, along with discretionary Christmas closure days.

In this role, you'll be responsible for:

• Representing AQA and delivering key subject messages to external audiences.
• Supporting schools, centres, and teachers with subject-related queries, and planning and delivering our Geography specifications.
• Engaging with teachers both face-to-face and online to support continuous improvement and subject confidence.
• Building strong relationships with subject stakeholders and using insights to shape future developments.
• Gathering and analysing data and customer feedback using relevant tools to inform decisions and improve delivery.
• Collaborating with internal teams such as Product Management, Marketing, Sales, and Events to ensure alignment and smooth delivery.

You’ll thrive in this role if you have:

• A clear and confident understanding of both physical and human Geography and AQA specifications.
• An understanding of GCSE and/or A Level assessment and awareness of the wider education landscape.
• Current or former teaching experience, knowledge of current pedagogy and ability to demonstrate credibility with teachers.
• Experience that shows you've already extended your influence beyond your own classroom, for example through subject networks, CPD delivery, EdTech projects or other outward facing responsibilities.
• The ability to use data effectively to inform delivery and understand customer impact.
• Clear and empathetic communication skills, including presenting to teachers, parents and students and responding to questions or challenges.
• The ability to explain AQA's offer in a clear and accessible way.
• Flexibility to travel regularly, including occasional overnight stays.

Diversity and inclusion statement

At AQA, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work. We value the different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring, knowing they strengthen our culture, decision-making and impact. We foster an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect, has access to opportunities to grow and contribute, and feels able to be themselves. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Onboarding expectations:

The expected start date can align with teacher notice periods or earlier if required.

If applicable, successful candidates will be unable to maintain an Associate role with AQA or any other exam board.

Please note that an Enhanced DBS will be required for the successful candidate.

Full Job Description

Summary: The key purpose of your role is to support customers, improve customer satisfaction and experience to achieve Customer and Product and organisational objectives. Your role will contribute to and support the planning and delivery of all activities for your subject(s).

The focus will be supporting customers and selling our qualifications through subject expertise, to retain and grow our market share. You will also be responsible for using your subject expertise to provide internal consultancy plus building and maintaining relationships with external stakeholders where needed.

The role will require extensive national travel to represent AQA, deliver to customers and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.

Landscape:

• To understand the educational landscape particularly within your subject area.
• To understand and engage with the strategic priorities of AQA and its evolving structure.

Activities:

• Achieve challenging goals and milestones for delivery of your subject(s).
• Contribute to planning, monitoring, and delivering Customer and Product priorities for your subject(s) Eg) contribute to the creation, monitoring and delivery of subject focused annual plans
• Use relevant systems, reports and dashboards to support and record delivery for your subject to meet delivery targets.
• Lead and support projects or workstreams within Customer and Product which are of a commensurate level to your role, maximising development opportunities.
• Engage with key stakeholders to support planning and delivery of priorities e.g., Product Management, Marketing, Sales, Customer Training and Events.
• Contribute to effective identification and management of risks and dependencies.
• Ensure your work supports continuous improvement in process and delivery, to improve customer experience and satisfaction.
• Collaborate with other teams to help reduce failure demand from customers e.g improved first contact resolution of customer enquiries.
• Promote customer centricity, be an advocate for the customer across the business and provide subject based customer insight.
• Be a brand advocate for AQA with customers and associates.
• Represent the team, subject, and Customer & Product as part of wider organisational projects and priorities.
• Contribute to business wide processes where needed to support customer facing activity eg) incident management and awarding.
• Responsible for the engagement and management of associates to support delivery to customers within your subject(s) in line with the AQA associate strategy.
• Engage with and influence subject level stakeholders such as subject associations and learned societies to build advocacy and support and to provide both stakeholder and customer insight to inform current and future developments eg, At times of reform
• Present at stakeholder events in collaboration with the Product Management team, in line with the product growth strategy, in order to influence stakeholder views and decisions to ensure AQA is seen as the board of choice for the subject.

To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:

• An excellent understanding of the subject, specifications, and current pedagogy
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in line with AQA brand and tone of voice
• Former teaching experience or ability to demonstrate credibility with teachers
• Leadership skills including stakeholder engagement and collaborative working
• Influencing and brand advocacy
• Organisation, planning, and prioritisation skills
• A continuous improvement mindset
• A big picture mindset
• The ability to have robust conversations with customers and stakeholders, own and deliver corporate messages
• Ability use relevant data to inform effective delivery and support monitoring of impact to customers
• Modelling of organisational values and behaviours
• An understanding of AQA's assessment products, processes and practices relevant to your subject(s)